Saturday April 16th, 2016

Posted at 10:09pm

A new Halifax team, but the same old rivalry. The Windsor Express hosted the eastern powerhouse at the WFCU Centre, and probably wished it was on a different night. Windsor tried to match the Hurricanes all game. After a tight, back-and-forth battle, the Hurricanes stormed past the Express. Windsor couldn’t pull off the win, and fell 103-96 to Halifax.

Leading the team was Chris Commons, who had 26 points and 10 rebounds. Brandon Robinson added 24 points and 9 rebounds, and Tony Bennett put up 20 points.

It must’ve been a winning part of the plan last night, because déjà-vu kicked in. Just like last night, Tony Bennett opens the show with a three-pointer. Halifax was up for the task as the Hurricanes sank three three-point shots of their own. As the visitors pulled ahead, the Express stayed close. The crowd was feeling the game. The fans roared when Brandon Robinson finished off Bennett’s shot that hit the rim with a massive dunk. Unfortunately, the Halifax’s three-point baskets kept Windsor at bay. The Hurricanes led by 5 after the opening quarter.

Windsor’s defense was holding strong against the tough Hurricanes offense, although they had a hard time halting Halifax’s three-point shooters. With those three-point baskets, the visitors went on a bit of a scoring spree. sure enough, though, the Express got their wheels turning. The flurry led to a takeover. Robinson put Windsor in the lead with a three-point shot. It was the spark that ignited the fired. The Express went on an 18-4 run late in the quarter, and finished the first half ahead 49-45.

To start the second half, both Windsor and Halifax exchanged three-point baskets. Sherron Collins and Chris Commons each hit one, the Hurricanes responded with two of their own. The teams fought up and down the court for the lead. With the visitors sinking some shots from the outside, they eventually took the lead. They carried that lead until the end of the third quarter with a 4-point lead.

The Hurricanes were strong off the hop in the final frame. they made their way to a 9-point lead before Windsor struck some offense. Bennett hit a three-pointer. Later, Robinson hit one as well to bring the Express within 5. Time was winding down, and Halifax stayed on top. Bennett hit a timely three with less than a minute to go, but the Hurricanes rushed down the court for a slam dunk. In the final seconds, the Express pressed for points. They got within 6 points, but that’s as close as they would come. With a final foul shot, the Hurricanes finished the game up by 7. Halifax handed Windsor a 103-96 loss.

The Express have one home game remaining in the season. They will be back at the WFCU Centre Friday, April 29th to take on the Niagara River Lions at 7:30pm.